Major Jason Tussey, operations officer for the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, awaits extraction from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters during Operation Abbeville near Darwish Village, Sept. 19, 2008. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs.

BALAD

This progress is a direct reflection of 12 months of successful Coalition and Iraqi operations which have placed a clamp on major insurgent activities in and around the predominately Shia city.

With the organization of ‘Sons of Iraq’ (Sawha) groups, and the ever increasing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, criminal activity in the once restive city has decreased dramatically.

Even with the overall successes in the Balad Qada, the enemy is still actively pursued. Operations aimed at maintaining a secure atmosphere in the Qada remain a priority.

In an effort to continue the positive trend, U.S. Soldiers and members of the Iraqi National Police’s Justice Battalion, conducted Operation Abbeville, Sept. 19.

Abbeville was an air assault operation targeting Al Qaeda in Iraq facilitators in the village of Darwish.

“This operation confirmed reporting that the people of the village were intimidated into providing sanctuary to AQI members,” said Capt. Tony Keller, Bravo Troop commander. “Hopefully the intelligence we received from this operation will allow us to develop future operations targeting these AQI elements.”

According to the squadron, the operation was more than just a show of force; however, it does demonstrate to the enemy that they are still being targeted.

“The enemy must be aware that Coalition and Iraqi forces will not stop pursuing them,” said Maj. Jason Tussey, squadron operations officer. “We retain the ability to strike at a time and place of our choice.”

The result of the operation was the detention of five individuals from the village and the removal of miscellaneous weapon systems.

The village of Darwish is a rural area east of Balad, and Coalition and Iraqi forces rarely patrol the area. This has allowed AQI to frequently use the village as a place of safe haven from the pressures of Coalition and Iraqi operations.

“It is of utmost importance that the people of the village were able to see that their National Police can provide security for them,” Tussey said. “As we continue to operate in the rural areas where CF [coalitian forces] and ISF [Iraqi security forces] have not been before, people see that they are not forgotten and the Iraqi government is working to provide much needed assistance.”

(By Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 101st Airborne Division)